Great Canadian Bridges

[ghYHZ]

Here's a nice old concrete bridge at St. George's Newfoundland. It was along the original highway.....still under construction down the west coast to the ferry terminal at Port-aux-Basques when this map was issued in 1949....the year Newfoundland became part of Canada.

The Trans Canada Highway has long bypassed this section of road.

[SaskScraper]

A team of professional engineers and roadway designers considered 15 possible bridge types that could potentially be used where the Saskatoon Freeway crosses the South Saskatchewan River.

The initial list of 15 was short-listed to four bridge types and then in a second round of evaluations, two bridge options emerged recently as offering the best options and value for the Saskatoon Freeway when built around the city.

While initial construction costs are greater with a cable-stayed bridge compared to the girder bridge option, the cable stayed bridge can be constructed one year sooner. It also has fewer environmental impacts as it requires minimal work in the river with fewer piers, has less impact on the River Valley as it spans across most of both slopes. The total life cycle cost of the cable-stayed bridge option is almost identical to the second girder bridge option, based on the design work completed to date. Although the steel plate girder was ranked lower in the evaluation, the steel plate girder bridge was advanced for further analysis due to it being the typical bridge configuration used by the Ministry, and therefore the design and construction of a plate girder bridge is well known and less complex.

Both bridge concepts offer the same potential to accommodate the addition of more traffic lanes when required, as well as multiuse paths for cyclists and pedestrians.

Artist renderings of steel cable bridge option is provided below:



https://saskatoonfreeway.org/river-crossing/

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

This reminds me of the instance when MolsonsExport was like, “Why not merge cars with trains?!” (We were talking about bike merges in London, ON.)

I’m surprised that Transport Canada is okay with this, since heavy rail’s very different from light rail.

Are you referring to the Gatineau BRT sharing a bridge with freight rail? As I understand it, freight rail mixed with road traffic while rare isn't entirely unheard of. Waterloo used to have it on Caroline Street, which is the only example I'm aware of in Canada, but it's more common in the US.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by jamincan

Are you referring to the Gatineau BRT sharing a bridge with freight rail? As I understand it, freight rail mixed with road traffic while rare isn't entirely unheard of. Waterloo used to have it on Caroline Street, which is the only example I'm aware of in Canada, but it's more common in the US.

If you're referring to Uptown Waterloo Station, I guess...? (I used to live in Waterloo as well.) Caroline Street is for SB ION, which shouldn't see any freight traffic whatsoever.

You see freight trains run on roads in Brantford too, but yea, these instances are getting rarer and rarer in Canada.

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

If you're referring to Uptown Waterloo Station, I guess...? (I used to live in Waterloo as well.) Caroline Street is for SB ION, which shouldn't see any freight traffic whatsoever.

You see freight trains run on roads in Brantford too, but yea, these instances are getting rarer and rarer in Canada.

Nope, the old Grand River Railway ran along what is now the Iron Horse Trail and terminated at the Seagram Distillery off of Caroline Street. The final section was street-running as can be seen in the picture below. As far as I know, this spur was only removed in the 90s.

http://www.railpictures.ca/wp-conten...2-1280x839.jpg

[franktko]

Old Champlain from above

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

A team of professional engineers and roadway designers considered 15 possible bridge types that could potentially be used where the Saskatoon Freeway crosses the South Saskatchewan River.

The initial list of 15 was short-listed to four bridge types and then in a second round of evaluations, two bridge options emerged recently as offering the best options and value for the Saskatoon Freeway when built around the city.

While initial construction costs are greater with a cable-stayed bridge compared to the girder bridge option, the cable stayed bridge can be constructed one year sooner. It also has fewer environmental impacts as it requires minimal work in the river with fewer piers, has less impact on the River Valley as it spans across most of both slopes. The total life cycle cost of the cable-stayed bridge option is almost identical to the second girder bridge option, based on the design work completed to date. Although the steel plate girder was ranked lower in the evaluation, the steel plate girder bridge was advanced for further analysis due to it being the typical bridge configuration used by the Ministry, and therefore the design and construction of a plate girder bridge is well known and less complex.

Both bridge concepts offer the same potential to accommodate the addition of more traffic lanes when required, as well as multiuse paths for cyclists and pedestrians.

Artist renderings of steel cable bridge option is provided below:



https://saskatoonfreeway.org/river-crossing/

Wow Saskatoon’s going big!

[davidivivid]

Construction of the new Ile d'Orléans bridge is set to begin at the end of 2022. It will be built 120m to the west of the actual bridge.






• Video Link
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle...YQSgUKucgvHy5Y

[hipster duck]

^nice. Is there a demand to bridge the southern branch of the St Lawrence from Ile d’Orleans, effectively building a third crossing, allowing people from the south shore to access Quebec City from the east?

[Laceoflight]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

^nice. Is there a demand to bridge the southern branch of the St Lawrence from Ile d’Orleans, effectively building a third crossing, allowing people from the south shore to access Quebec City from the east?

In fact, the population of the island is strongly against a link to the south; they fear that it would lead to the suburbanization of their heavily protected heritage landscapes and villages.

[hipster duck]

^but wouldnt suburbanization come from having a fixed link to the Quebec City side more than a link to the Levis side? Also, couldn’t they slap a moratorium on development on the island?

[TorontoDrew]

Not a big bridge but still a really nice one just complete in Elora.

The Victoria Street Pedestrian Bridge

October Bridge by Mark Heine, on Flickr

Jack R MacDonald Walking Bridge by Mark Heine, on Flickr

Elora - 1 by Magister_Ludi, on Flickr

October Mood by Mark Heine, on Flickr

Not sure the name of this one but it's also in Elora just down stream.

Bridge Over Silky Waters by Brian Dallner, on Flickr

Irvine Creek, Elora by PJMixer, on Flickr

[esquire]

Beautiful. The townscape, seen in pictures 2 and 3, look European to my eyes.

[MolsonExport]

Fantastic Elora shots!

[megadude]

Been about 12 years since I went to Elora for the first and only time. Didn't have as much as an appreciation for things like that like I do now. Another visit is due. And make a quick visit to Fergus this time.

[TorontoDrew]

It's a great town for a day trip from the city. Lot's of hiking trails, some caves, a few old ruins in the forest, you can tube down the river, camp there. And on the way to and from there are collection of other small towns along the way not to mention the St Jacobs's Market.

Small-town charm in Elora, Ontario by Jack Tome, on Flickr

Elora by Ildiko Annable, on Flickr

ELORA,ON by Sonicgregu, on Flickr

Elora Ontario by Jack Tome, on Flickr

Elora Ontario by Jack Tome, on Flickr

BTW this was the old pedestrian bridge they replaced/

Elora by Ya-Yin, on Flickr

[JHikka]

Elora is an awesome little town. Had a good time roaming through there for a day earlier this summer.

[megadude]

I did tube down the gorge last time which was tremendous fun. Also went cliff diving at the quarry, but not from the big jump. Little too wimpy for that, plus it's prohibited. Well technically all of it is but I only saw park rangers at the big one.

St. Jacobs Market, Stratford, St. Mary's and such I did 3 years ago.

If you're into day trips, gotta take advantage if living in a relatively densely populated region. I kind of equate it to living in Cali, anywhere between LA and SF, though that would have more variety of geography of course. DC to Boston and beyond I think could be somewhat comparable in the US.

I don't picture the Midwest the same way though, despite the population. Lots of historic towns with interesting architecture, but so many of them are no longer vibrant.

At home, I picture there being smaller versions from say Peterborough to QC and in and around around the Martimes. And of course, mountain towns between CGY and VAN.

Basically, regions where you have multiple options of convenient day trips that include multiple vibrant towns and attractions along the way.

[TorontoDrew]

Do we have a small town thread?

[Martin Mtl]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

^but wouldnt suburbanization come from having a fixed link to the Quebec City side more than a link to the Levis side? Also, couldn’t they slap a moratorium on development on the island?

Apparently not since they already have a fixed link to the Quebec City side since 1935.